Alumni
Many of our Old Boys have gone on to achieve great things, truly embodying the West House mantra that ‘Extraordinary lives start here’. Here are just a few of our most celebrated and recognised alumni.
Peter Dunn
Innovative Paediatrician
After leaving West House, he went to Marlborough and then on to Undergraduate studies in St John’s College, Cambridge but returned to Birmingham for his clinical studies.
As a student, he had observed the neglect of babies and on returning from National Service in Malaya, he devoted himself to prenatal care.
Peter introduced many innovations and developments that have greatly contributed to the survival rates of newborn children. In 1950, 40 of every 1000 babies born alive died within the first week – today it is just eight.
He was one of the first to use Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) for babies with respiratory distress, a technique which has come into its own for adults during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2001 he was awarded the James Spencer medal which is the highest award of the The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Ollie Lawrence
International rugby player
Ollie Lawrence is an English rugby union player who plays inside centre for Worcester Warriors. He has also represented England, making his debut at Twickenham in October 2020 against Italy, playing his part in the win that made England the Six Nations Champions.
Professional rugby is the most demanding of sports and one must admire the huge level of commitment and training required to succeed, lessons and good habits that Mr Denham was able to teach Ollie as a young and talented all round sportsman at West House. Oliver excelled in the sporting environment that West House was able to offer and was as much as shining light in the cricket team.
The headmaster recalls that managing a young Oliver was not always easy. “Mr. Denham spent a good deal of time apologising to the opposition for the manner in which Ollie had almost single-handedly destroyed them! We ended up playing him out of year group, but even when he was surrounded by bigger boys he would still stand out.”
Lawrence (Lol) Mason
Songwriter and scriptwriter
‘Lol’ was born into a creative family – his father created the legendary Dick Barton radio series and also co-created The Archers.
Following his time at West House, he went to Bromsgrove School, and began performing music in the late 1960s.
He is best known for the top ten singles ‘5-7-0-5’ with City Boy in 1978, and 1983’s ‘Heartache Avenue’ with The Maisonettes. It was for his work with the latter that he was granted the Freedom of Birmingham, famously telling the Mayoress to ‘sit here, bab’ at a celebratory dinner.
As well as an award-winning songwriter and composer, Lol was a gifted scriptwriter, and in 1991 won the Radio Times Comedy Award for ‘Total Accident’, as well as creating series for Radio 4.
Lol was something of a musical chameleon, capable of embracing a host of styles and genres, and could be considered the industry’s forgotten genius.
Humphrey Eames Barwell
World War One pilot
Humphrey was born in Harborne in 1898. He attended West House School then continued his studies at Oundle School. He returned to study engineering at Birmingham University, and was awarded his BSC in July 1914.
During World War One, he served with the British Expeditionary Force and later the Royal Flying Corps, where he was a Second Lieutenant.
Humphrey died while flying on active service on 3rd February 1918, aged just 26.
A fellow officer wrote of Humphrey, “I cannot express my grief at losing him. He was a very good, steady pilot. He was a great favourite with the Squadron, from the commanding officer downwards. He set a splendid example to everyone.”
We Will Remember.
Soweto Kinch
Musician and composer
Award winning alto-saxophonist and MC Soweto Kinch is one of the most exciting and versatile young musicians in both the British jazz and hip-hop scenes.
Soweto joined West House School aged 9 and stayed on until 1991 when he left for Bromsgrove School, before going on gain a degree in Modern History at Hertford College, Oxford.
The West House archives tell us that he came first in Languages at Prize Giving in December 1990 and, perhaps unsurprisingly, won the Woodwind prize at the 1991 Prize Giving.
As a saxophonist, composer, poet and MC, he has amassed an impressive list of accolades and awards on both sides of the Atlantic – including a Mercury Music Prize nomination, two Urban Music Awards, and multiple MOBO awards.
Malvind Singh Benning
Professional footballer
Malvind is a trailblazing professional footballer, one of a small number of British Asians in the game.
After leaving West House School in 2004, he attended Queen Mary’s Grammar School in Walsall.
He made his debut in the English Football League for Walsall in November 2012 and went on to feature 53 times in total, before signing for Mansfield Town in May 2015. After six seasons and 251 appearances, Malvind signed for Port Vale in June 2021.
Mr. Sajjad recalls that “Malvind was an excellent footballer. Skilful, but also determined. He was part of a very talented football year group that only ever lost one game of football during their whole time at West House.”
Tom Franklyn Gammage
Entrepreneur
After leaving West House, Tom attended the University of Oxford, graduating in 2013 with a degree in Engineering Science, specialising in Mathematical Modelling for Aerodynamics.
He remained at Oxford to complete a Master’s of Science, researching the efficacy of computational models for compressible airflow in gas turbines. Since then, he’s worked in the emerging field of combating science denial and the spread of fake data.
In 2019, Tom set up NADATA Ltd, with the aim of revolutionising the nightlife industry through mathematical modelling.
Ben Green
Bridge Grandmaster
Ben’s true love is the card game Bridge. After being taught the game by his grandma at age 12, he represented England Juniors until 2008, playing in three European Championships and two World Championships. Ben also captained and coached the England Open Team from 2012-2014, most notably winning a silver medal in the European Championships in 2014.
Domestically, Ben has won many of the top UK titles, including the Gold Cup and Spring Foursomes and achieved the rank of Grandmaster in 2013.
Ben is a trustee for two charities: The Stuart Green Memorial Fund, a charity supporting education in Paediatric Neurology, and The Child Brain Research, promoting research that leads to improved lives for children affected by neurological disorders.
Sir Robin Ibbs, KBE
Chairman of LLoyds Bank and Advisor to Margaret Thatcher
Born in 1926, Ibbs was the only son of Professor T. L. Ibbs MC DSc, and of Marjorie Ibbs (née Bell). He was educated at West House School, Gresham’s School, Upper Canada College, Toronto, the University of Toronto, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated MA in Mechanical Sciences.
From 1947 to 1949 Ibbs served in the Royal Navy as an Instructor Lieutenant, then worked for C. A. Parsons & Co. Ltd, from 1949 to 1951 while also reading for a career as a barrister at Lincoln’s Inn. He was called to the Bar in 1952. He joined ICI in 1952 and was a Director from 1976 to 1980 and again from 1982 to 1988, serving the two intervening years on secondment as Head of the Central Policy Review Staff in the Cabinet Office.
From 1983 to 1988, Ibbs was also a part-time advisor to Margaret Thatcher on Efficiency and Effectiveness in Government. On 10 April 1984, Gordon Brown asked the Prime Minister in the House of Commons “whether her efficiency adviser Sir Robin Ibbs has the status of a temporary civil servant, what are the terms and conditions of appointment, including the salary paid, of her adviser on efficiency Sir Robin Ibbs; if she will publish the formal exchange of letters which preceded the appointment of Sir Robin Ibbs as her adviser on efficiency.” Mrs Thatcher replied that “Sir Robin Ibbs is not a civil servant. His appointment as my adviser on efficiency is on a part-time basis, and is unpaid. It would not be appropriate to publish the exchange of letters on appointment.”
Ibbs was appointed as Chairman of Lloyds Merchant Bank Holdings in 1989, continuing until 1992, and was simultaneously Deputy Chairman of Lloyds Bank Canada, from 1989 until 1990. He was Deputy Chairman of Lloyds Bank from 1988 to 1993 and Chairman from 1993 to 1997, and also Chairman of Lloyds TSB Group PLC from 1995 to 1997.
Outside his professional career, Ibbs was a member of the Council of the Confederation of British Industry from 1982 to 1887, of the Court of the Cranfield Institute of Technology from 1983 to 1988, and Chairman of the Council of University College, London, from 1989 to 1995.
In 1952 Ibbs married firstly Iris Barbara Hall, and they had one daughter. Lady Ibbs died in 2005. In 2006, he married secondly Penelope Ann, daughter of Captain H. C. Buckland.